Meet the Jesuit priest who was killed ‘in hatred of the faith’

Bl. Miguel Agustín Pro, martyr

Bl. Miguel Agustín Pro (1891–1927) was a Mexican Jesuit priest executed under the presidency of Plutarco Elías Calles. In honor of his feast day on Nov. 23, here are five facts about Bl. Miguel Agustín Pro.

Bl. Miguel Agustín Pro was born to a mining family in Guadalupe, Zacatecas in Mexico

Born José Ramón Miguel Agustín, he was the third of 11 children, four of which died at young ages.

Bl. Miguel Agustín Pro was targeted by anti-Catholic laws

Shortly after his return to Mexico in July 1926, Bl. Miguel was targeted by the “Calles Law,” which placed laws and regulations on Catholic priests in an effort to enforce anti-Catholic provisions of the 1917 Mexican constitution.

Bl. Miguel Agustín Pro was executed in 1927 in response to a failed assassination attempt on former Mexican president Álvaro Obregón

Bl. Miguel was never put on trial before his execution. Calles had Bl. Miguel executed under the pretense of the assassination attempt. However, the execution was actually in response to Bl. Miguel’s defiance to Calles’ push against Catholicism.

Calles purposely had Bl. Miguel Agustín Pro’s death photographed

Calles hoped that spreading the story as well as images of the execution would hurt the morale of Cristero rebels struggling against anti-Catholic policies of the government. However, the story actually had the opposite effect and invigorated the rebels further.